NC man pleads guilty to trying to help ISIS terrorist group, US attorney says. What we know
A Durham man pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to provide and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Alexander Justin White, 29, was arrested Dec. 4 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport while boarding a plane to Paris, the first leg of a planned trip to Morocco, according to a federal criminal complaint. This came after several months of communications in which he professed his support for ISIS and his plans to join the militant group.
“As alleged in the complaint, between May and October of 2024, White used an online account under the name ‘Sulaiman Al-Amriki’ to make numerous posts supporting ISIS and the concept of violent jihad,” said a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District, which announced his plea.
“This allegedly included videos commonly used to recruit new members and to generate a passion for fighting as well as fundraising videos and several posts and reposts in reference to well-known ISIS supporters and scholars,” it stated.
The arrest wasn’t made public until Jan. 16 while federal authorities explored if he had conspirators but they said that White acted alone, then-U.S. Attorney Michael Easley Jr. said at a news conference that day in Raleigh. White faces up to 20 years in prison.
White’s online conversations showed an “active effort” to join ISIS overseas, federal authorities said, and that he was “engaged in financial transactions to refugee camps which are well known for acting as a front to funnel money to ISIS members and their supporters.” Some of his communications include texts with undercover FBI agents, the criminal complaint said.
“When White was asked if he was OK killing members of the military or U.S. citizens the complaint alleges that he stated if it was a family member I would still fight back with them,” Easley said at the January news conference.
White also talked about his experience with firearms and had bought and sold several, the complaint said.
“He trained at a gun range, he bought specific gear for the mission to include a tactical medical kit and even military style boots which he wore here in North Carolina to break in before his trip to fight with ISIS,” said FBI Special Agent Robert DeWitt, who leads the FBI in North Carolina.
Feds foiled suspect’s plans to leave U.S.
White, who is a U.S. citizen, sought to disguise his travel as a vacation, federal authorities said in their complaint, but ultimately planned to join ISIS members in Africa.
The FBI’s Raleigh-based Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated after receiving information about White from an overseas source, Easley said. The task force includes the Cary, Raleigh and Durham police departments, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation, State Highway Patrol and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.
“The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force put this threat to a stop. They did it through a tremendous amount of work, a massive commitment of resources and coordination like you wouldn’t believe,” Easley said.
Critical help came from the Morocco General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, federal authorities said.
“If the threat is international, so too will be our investigative efforts,” Easley said.
He also urged the public to look out for individuals who are showing signs of gravitating toward terrorism or other violent behavior.
“You may see it before we do, and we ask you, please, if you see someone sliding into a dangerous ideology, if you see someone mobilizing towards violence, speak up now,” Easley said.
This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 5:20 PM.